HAPPY PIE DAY*!
* Pie Day is very different than Pi Day, obviously. But expect more Pies on Pi Day.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t have any pumpkin pie over the holidays, but for some reason I’ve been craving it lately. It’s in the same post-gluten “now that I can’t have it as easily I want it all the time” category as croissants and pizza rolls. And I know it’s not thanksgiving, but it’s not like we have seasons in SoCal anyway. Any season is pumpkin pie season as far as I’m concerned. Especially this pumpkin pie. It’s light and creamy and not overly sweet.
So listen- I’m including a pie crust recipe here. In fact, that’s most of the post. It’s definitely a #🥄🥄🥄 three spoon-er. But honestly, you can just buy a ready made crust. No one is going to judge you, it’ll still taste great, and you can save those spoons (taking this recipe down to 🥄). Mastering pie crust dough is hard, and it’s not made any easier with lack of gluten. You have to make sure this dough is SO COLD when you work with it, or else you’ll end up with a sticky mess. If you want cutouts on top like I have here, that will mean putting the dough back in the fridge over and over again. Which is a pain. But like, look how cute is.
The recipe is my go-to. I’ve adapted it from the America’s Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook vol. 2. I usually use their recipe as a base and alter it as needed. It does require the use of a food processor, but I’m sure there are other methods that work just fine (I just don’t know what they are).
Combine the wet ingredients first. I like to do it in a measuring cup so I can easily pour it into the food processor when it’s time. And keep it cool! If you think the next steps will take you a long time, you can even stick the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Put the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse it for a few seconds, just until everything is mixed together well.
Then scatter your cold butter pieces over the top. Pulse until you get evenly mixed crumbs that look kind of like sand.
Pour the wet ingredients over everything and pulse it until the dough comes together in big pieces in the center of the machine.
Put the dough on some plastic wrap and turn it into a little disk. That will make it easier to roll out later. Then put that disk in the fridge for awhile. At least an hour (I know, it’s a long time, but it’s necessary), but you can leave it for up to two days. One of the reasons I like this recipe so much is that if I run out of spoons and can’t follow through with the project, I can leave the dough alone and pick back up where I left off in a day or two. It also allows me to better plan and pace myself around the holidays when there’s a ton of activity.
When you’re ready to use it, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. You want it warm enough to work with, but not so warm that...you can’t work with it. I don‘t know, you’re looking for something between a rock and slime. Delicious metaphor, you’re welcome. Use this time to turn on your oven and let it preheat to 375°.
Roll the dough into a larger disk, about 12 inches in diameter. Pro tip: do this between two pieces of plastic wrap. That way you don’t have to mess with flouring any surfaces or rolling pins. There’s very little clean-up afterward.
Take off the top piece of plastic and invert the dough over a pie plate. Carefully ease it into the dish. This is another time when the plastic wrap comes in handy. Literally. Press the dough into the plate with your hands, on the outside of the plastic (so you’re not actually touching the dough) to make sure it’s where you want it, then remove the plastic. But don’t toss it yet.
Trim off any excess dough, leaving enough to make the edges pretty. I struggle with making the edges pretty. Darn those fine motor skills. You can use the excess dough to make cutouts for the top of the pie. Just be sure the dough is cool enough to cut or stamp.
Take the plastic you just removed and put it back, but very loosely. Put the whole thing in the freezer for about 15 minutes. The dough will have warmed up while you were rolling it out and putting it in the pan, so it needs to get cold again.
Before you bake it, put some parchment paper or foil and pie weights (if you don’t have pie weights, you can use dry beans or lentils or rice) over the dough so it doesn’t bubble up. Bake for 25-35 minutes, rotating halfway through (bake the cutouts on a baking sheet at the same time, take them out when they’ve browned). Let it cool a bit before filling it. You can also let it sit at room temperature for up to a day.
And with that out of the way, let’s move on to the good stuff.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine all of the ingredients in a big bowl. Make sure it’s smooth and silky. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake it for about an hour, until it doesn’t jiggle. Put foil or a pie shield on the crust if it’s getting too brown. Let it cool for at least an hour before serving. Seriously, that’s it. If you made decorations, put them on when the pie has cooled a little bit. You want them to really sit in the filling, not just on top, but you don’t want them to sink.
I’d highly recommend serving with whipped cream on top. I’d also highly recommend eating it for breakfast with a really nice cup of tea.
For the Crust:
Adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook
🥄🥄🥄; makes one 9 in. pie crust
3 tablespoons ice water
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 + 2/3 cup King Arthur All Purpose Baking Blend
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces
1. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed.
3. Scatter butter pieces over the flour mixture.
4. Pulse until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture looks a little bit like sand.
5. Pour liquid ingredients over the flour and butter mixture. 6. Pulse until the dough comes together in big pieces in the center of the machine.
7. Put dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form into a small disk, wrap the plastic around it, and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to two days.
8. Preheat oven time 375°.
9. Roll dough between two sheets of plastic wrap until you get a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
10. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. Invert dough onto a pie plate and gently press the dough down through the plastic to make sure it’s firmly in place.
11. Trim the excess dough off of the edges and make the edges pretty. Keep the trimmings to make decorations for the finished pie.
12. Cover the crust loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
13. Cut trimmings into desired shapes, refrigerating as needed.
14. Prep the crust with pie weights. Bake for 25-35 minute, rotating halfway through.
15. Let crust cool slightly before adding filling. Can be stored at room temperature for up to a day before filling.
For the Pie:
🥄; makes one pie
1 15 oz can pumpkin purée
3 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other nondairy)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix until smooth and silky.
3. Pour pie filling into crust.
4. Bake 50-60 minutes until the filling no longer jiggles when jostled. Cover crust with foil or pie shield as necessary.
5. Let cool briefly before adding top crust decorations. Let cool completely before serving. Store in the fridge (if it lasts that long).